Toy gun intended to simulate the ejection of spent cases at each firing of an explosive cap



Feb. 21, 1967 G. FERRI ETAL 3,304,644

TOY GUN INTENDED TO SIMULATE THE EJECTION OF SPENT CASES AT EACH FIRING OF AN EXPLOSIVE CAP Filed Aug. 12, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet l 3,304,644 PENT G. FERRI ETAL Feb. 21, 1967 TOY GUN INTENDED TO SIMULATE THE EJECTION OF S CASES AT EACH FIRING OF AN EXPLOSIVE CAP 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 12, 1965 Feb. 21, 1967 G. FERRI ETAL 3,304,644

TOY GUN INTENDED TO SIMULATE THE EJECTION OF SPENT Filed Aug. 12, 1965 CASES AT EACH FIRING OF AN EXPLOSIVE CAP 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Feb. 21, 1967 FERR| ETAL 3,304,644

TOY GUN INTENDED TO SIMULATE THE EJECTION OF SPE CASES AT EACH FIRING OF AN EXPLOSIVE CAP Filed Aug. 12, 1965 5 Sheets5heet 4 Feb. 21, 1967 G. FERRI ETAL 3,304,644

TOY GUN INTENDED TO SIMULATE THE EJECTION OF SPENT CASES AT EACH FIRING OF AN EXPLOSIVE CAP Filed Aug. 12, 1965 5 Sheets-$heet 5 3,364,644 Patented Feb. 21, 1957 ire 3,304,644 TOY GUN INTENDED TO @HMULATE THE EJEC- TION F SPENT CASES AT EACH FERING 0F AN EXPLUSHVE CAP Giampiero Ferri, Via Stoppani 38, and Jeri Marinai,

Via Stoppani 29, both of Florence, Ttaly Filed Aug. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 479,157 Claims priority, application Italy, Aug. 21, 1964, 18,2?0/64 8 Claims. (CI. 4254) This invention relates to a toy gun intended to simulate the ejection of spent cases at each firing of an explosive cap.

The gun may be provided either with a repeating automatic firing system or with a single shot system if from time to time it is desired to fire one shot of a series of shots loaded in the gun. The toy gun may, for instance, be an imitation of a tummy-gun or other automatic gun.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved toy gun.

According to the present invention there is provided in a cap-firing toy gun, a cap-firing mechanism, and ejector mechanism for ejecting a spent cap from the gun substantially simultaneously with the action of the capfiring mechanism.

The term, ammunition, means herein a series of explosive caps connected to one another to form a unit which can be loaded into a toy gun. This unit may be a series of caps one following the other to form a preferably rectilinear strip or a unit of caps, differently formed, also annular or disc-shaped.

The detachment of a cap may occur at any instant, before, simultaneously or after the firing of each shot. Preferably however, the ejection of a spent cap is effected simultaneously with the firing of another cap. On the other hand, the ejection of a spent cap could also be elfected at an instant different from its detachment, although it is preferable that the ejection should occur substantially simultaneously with the detachment of the cap.

An embodiment of a toy gun in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a toy gun in accordance with the invention, in a partly sectioned side View;

FIG. 2 illustrates a detail, to an enlarged scale, of FIG. 1 in the position prior to arming which is the same as that assumed subsequent to firing;

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate local transverse sections on the lines III-III and IVIV respectively of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are similar to FIG. 2 but illustrate two different positions of the members of the gun, namely the position which the members assume at the end of the arming of a striking mass or hammer and the position after the firing stroke but before the return of the trigger to the position of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 illustrates a longitudinal section on the line VII-VII of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate two local sections on the lines V HI-VIII and lX-lX of FIG. 2 respectively;

FIG. 10 illustrates a cross-section on the line XX of FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 illustrates a local inclined section on the line XI-XI of FIG. 4;

FIG. 12 illustrates a cross-section on the line XII-XII of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a strip of caps for the gun shown in the preceding figures;

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of various parts of the gun;

FIGS. 15 to 20 illustrate details of the upper end of the magazine, in a perspective view, in a front view and in sections on the lines XVIIXVII, XVIII-XVIII, XIX-XIX and XX-XX of FIG. 16 respectively; and

FIG. 21 illustrates a view similar to FIG. 1 of a modification of the embodiment of the previous figures.

Referring now to the drawings, the casing 1 of a toy gun is formed from two substantially symmetrical portions of a thermoplastic synthetic-resin material, cavities and seatings for various members being provided therein. The stock In, a trigger guard 1b and a fore-sight 1c all form parts of the casing 1.

The stock In is formed with a housing for a magazine 3, which extends in a direction substantially normal to the sight line of the gun and the housing is formed with a lower end extension 3a to facilitate the loading and unloading operation. The magazine 3 is formed to receive slidably in a longitudinal channel member 3b fitted therein, a strip of caps 5, which are brought individually into the firing position. The caps 5 are joined to each other by connection stalks 6 which project laterally and which are shaped to form a series of teeth each having a stop or shoulder 6a directed downwardly and an upwardly facing inclined rear face 611. The ammunition formed by the strip of members 5, 6 may be moulded in a single piece of thermoplastic synthetic-resin material, the caps 5 being loaded With an explosive charge. Alter natively, the caps can be made separately from one another and interconnected by a strip of card, cardboard or other material capable of being sheared in the same manner as the connections or stalks 6 of the strip shown in the drawings and in particular in FIG. 13. The ammunition for the magazine may also be formed of several strip portions capable of being connected to one another. For this purpose, an extension 60 is provided with a pair of pins for engagement in a corresponding pair of holes formed in an opposite extension 6d of another similar strip. An extension 62 at the end having the extension 6c serves to keep the last cap of the series in the right position, before also being expelled by shearing mechanism of the gun.

At the upper end the magazine 3 (see also FIGS. 15 to 20), has a stepped recess 3d which faces towards the barrel. Furthermore, one of the sides of the magazine is provided with an extension 3e and a longitudinal slot 3 the opposite side, 3g terminates below the extension 3e to form a lateral opening, for hereinafter described purposes, in alignment with a lateral window 8 (see FIG. 4), in one of the parts of the casing 1. Spent caps can be ejected through this window 8. As shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the channel 312 is provided with a portion of reduced cross-section 3/2 in which the lateral projection formed on the stalks 6 of the ammunition strip can engage for retention purposes.

The gun barrel 10 is slidable in a bore in the casing 1 and is at least partly uncovered over a central portion and is guided in a front portion of the casing 1 in alignment with the sight 1c, adjacent which an annular slideway is formed for the barrel. The barrel is also extended in alignment with the stepped recess 3d of the upper section of the magazine 3. The barrel 10 can slide in the axial direction, the stroke being limited by a tooth 10a on the barrel which engages against two stops 1]: formed in the casing 1. The barrel has a longitudinal bore and at the inner end this has a rectangular cross-section. A sheet metal member 12 is secured across the end of the bore of the barrel 10 and has an outwardly inclined flange 12a defining an aperture 12b. The flange 12a is substantially frusto-conical, is rearwardly directed and the aperture 12b leads to the upper end of the magazine 3. One of the caps x which is in the firing position (FIGS. 2 and 4), must be coaxial with the aperture 121) and to this end is centered by the rim of said aperture when the barrel is suddenly moved in the firing stroke in the direction of an arrow f (FIGS. 1 and 2). The cap 5x is located at the end of the bottom wall of the channel member 31).

In the barrel 111' (see particularly FIG. 9), a pair of longitudinal grooves 13 (see FIGS. 9, ll, 14), is arranged to receive a plate 14 engaging the bottom of the grooves with its edges, and which is retained therein by the member 12 engaged in the square section portion of the bore of the barrel. The plate 14 carries a cylindrical member 14a which acts as the firing or striking pin. The member 14a is so arranged that when projecting centrally through the aperture 12b it can strike the explosive charge of the cap 5x and is aligned with the aperture 12b. The plate 14 has a shaped outer projection 1412, which extends from a track 12c in the sheet metal member 12. The projection 14b is chamfered at an edge 14c thus forming a cutting edge. This cutting edge 14s is arranged to contact one of the stalks 6 between the cap 5x which is in the firing position and a spent cap 5y immediately above it (chain lines in FIG. 4), which is located on the same level as the window 8. The plate 14 is inclined as shown in FIG. 4 so that the cutting edge 140 faces the window 3.

The barrel 11) has a projection 19c adjacent its inner end, against which a leaf spring 16 acts which is fixed in a seating 1i (FIG. 1), formed in the casing 1. The leaf spring 16 is so loaded that it biases the barrel 11) to move in the direction of the arrow f The firing pin 14a is thus urged towards the cavity of the cap 5x, which is in the firing position and is supported on the rear wall of the magazine 3.

When the barrel has been moved in the direction of the arrow h from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. 5 (thus additionally loading the spring 16), and is released from said position, the spring 16 causes a rapid stroke in the direction of the arrow f At the end of this stroke the firing pin 14a causes the firing of the explosive charge of the cap 5x and the severance of the stalk between the cap 5x and the cap 5y by means of the cutting edge 146. The stalk is thus neatly sheared and the inclined profile of the edge 140 (FIG. 12), causes the ejection of the last cap 5y of the strip in the direction sub s-tantially of an arrow f.; of FIGS. 4 and 12 through the window 8. Thus the severance and ejection of a cap is effected at each rearward movement of the striking mass formed by the barrel 10. Obviously the cutting edge 140 will reach the surface which provides the resistance necessary to effect the cutting and this surface is defined by a portion 11 of the casing 1 at the upper end of the magazine 3. The firing pin 14a is slightly shorter so as to allow the completion of a cutting stroke of the projection 14.5 but has a sufficient length to ensure the striking and thus the ignition of the explosive charge in the cap 5x. The projection 10a of the barrel 10 may also act as a limiting abutment for the firing stroke of the barrel 1%) in the direction of the arrow f as well as acting as a limit to the stroke of the barrel 10 in the direction of the arrow h.

The explosion gases can escape freely through the bore of the barrel 1t) and through the aperture 12b of the member 12. When the barrel 10 has reached the cutting position, that is the position at the end of the firing stroke in the direction of the arrow f the edge of the aperture 12b will graze the outer edge of one of the caps 5 and will thus ensure the centering of the cap ready for firing and will support this edge so as to withstand better the pressure stresses caused by firing. Furthermore, the edge of the aperture 12b, in co-operation with the cap edge, prevents the back flow of gas from the outside of the cap, thus forming a labyrinth and an obstruction to the escape of the gas. However, the gas finds a free escape path 4 through the aperture 1% and the barrel and does not emerge in any substantial quantity from the side of the magazine.

In the last part of the firing stroke of the barrel 10, the pin 14a has already penetrated into the cavity of the cap 5x which is to be fixed and thus exerts a retaining action on the cap and of the strip of caps in the magazine 3. This arrangement is exploited with a device hereinafter described for effecting the return motion of means for advancing the strip of caps in the magazine. When the striking mass formed by the barrel 11) has been moved in the direction of the arrow f to effect the arming stroke to the position shown in FIG. 5, the projection 14a and the cutting edge 14b are separated from the strip of caps and this is free to be moved to advance the same strip by a pitch length and to locate a new cap in the firing position. The guide formed by the narrow portion 311 of the channel 3b exerts a retaining action on the ammunition in the upper zone of the magazine.

The barrel 10 is advanced in the firing stroke by the action of a trigger in the case of a single-shot gun, or by another device with an automatic gun, such as a tommy gun or a machine gun.

In the case of a single-shot gun, as illustrated, the trigger 19 lies within the trigger guard 1b. The trigger 19 also extends into the interior of the casing 1 in a recess for-med below the rear portion of the barrel 10. The upper end of the trigger has a portion 1% of increased thickness which ends in a tooth 19b. The trigger also has two lateral circular bosses 1%, and a pin 19d extends from each boss. The two pins engage in two slots 21 (see FIG. 10), formed in the opposed sides of the housing for the trigger 19, formed by the casing 1 and inclined to the centre line of the barrel 10. The trigger 19 is therefore free to move about the pins 19d and can be moved within the limits defined by the slots 20. A spring 21 housed in a bore 21b formed in the casing 1 acts on the upper portion 19a. The angle of inclination of the line of action of the 'force exerted by the spring 21 with respect to the direction of sliding of the barrel 10 is smaller than the angle of inclination of the slots 21). The inclination of the slots 21 and of the line of action of the spring 21, together with the size of the trigger 19 are such as to satisfy the hereinafter described purposes, in co-operation with the barrel 10. The barrel 10 has a stop 10g which co-operates -with the tooth 19a of the trigger 19. A cam profile 1072 on the barrel 10 is formed forwardly of the stop 19g and co-operates with the tooth 1%.

In the position illustrated in FIG. 2, the tooth 19b is in engagement with the stop 111g and the pins 19d of the trigger are at the upper end of their stroke in the slots 21) and towards the rear end of the barrel 10. By acting on the trigger 19 in the direction of an arrow f clockwise rotation of the trigger is efi'ected and the thrust of the tooth 1% on the stop 10g causes an advance in the direction of the arrow f of the barrel 10 and an additional loading of the spring 16 and compression of the spring 21. The position is thus changed from that shown in FIG. 2 to that of'FIG. 5. The tooth 1% disengages from the stop 10g leaving the barrel free to make the firing stroke under the action of the spring 16. During this stroke, the tooth 19b is in contact with the cam profile 1tlh. On releasing the trigger the spring 21 forces the tooth 19b to follow the cam profile 1011 in the direction of the arrow f and by reaction slides the pins 19d along the slots 2% from the position of FIG. 5 to the position of FIG. 5 to the position of FIG. 6 until the tooth 1% reaches the edge of the stop 10g again. At this point, the action of the spring 21 effects an upward movement of the trigger so that the tooth 19b enters the recess adjacent the stop 10g, and the pins 19d return to slide in the reverse direction along the slots 20 and pass from the position of FIG. 6 back again to the position of FIG. 2.

Therefore, the device, formed by the trigger 19 loaded by a small spring 21, efiects the direct action on the striking mass and the return to the initial conditions of the device which serves for the arming and firing of the striking mass. When a repeating device is provided, the trigger may directly act on the striking mass, or on a lever equivalent to the trigger described.

On a side of the casing, within the same cavity provided for the trigger action, there is mounted a small lever 22, formed by a plate which is capable of pivotal motion in a plane parallel to that containing the axis of the barrel 1t) and the vertical axis of the magazine 3. The lever 22 has an aperture with a projecting flange 22a (FIG. 7), on which the lever 22 is pivoted on the casing 1 intermediate its length. In order to engage the lever 22 to cause its pivotal movement, there is provided on one side of the casing 1, a hollow tubular projection 23 and on the other side of the casing 11, a projection 24 with a pin 24a engaging in the aperture 22a. By the action of joining the two portions of the casing 1, the lever 22 is mounted on the axis defined by the projections 23, 24 and can pivot about this axis. The lever 22 has a lug 22b forming a stop and a second lug 220 having an inclined cam profile, the stop and inclined profile being disposed on different sides of the pivot axis. The end of the lever 22 carrying the lug 22b is bent to form a tooth 22d with a thrust profile directed upward and an inclined profile directed downwards (see FIG. 4). The tooth 22d extends into the slot 3] of the magazine 3 and is arranged to engage the stops 6a of the strip of caps in the magazine, so as to move the strip upwardly, While the inclined back co-operates with the inclined profile 6b to override below a stop 6a, when the end of the lever 22 is moved downwardly. The lever 22 is resiliently flexible so that it can be displaced out of the pivot plane as in indicated in chain lines in FIG. 7, to facilitate this overriding.

The barrel 10 is provided With a projection 101 (FIG. 14), which lies between the lugs 22b and 220. In the positions shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the projection 101' is acting on the lug 22b, causing counterclockwise rotation of the lever 22 and thus the depression of the tooth 22d below a stop 6a corresponding to the cap beneath the cap 5x. When the barrel It) is moved in the direction of the arrow h to effect arming, the projection 10: contacts the inclined profile of the lug 22c causing clockwise rotation of the lever 22 and thus raising the tooth 22d. The advance of the strip 5, 6 to locate the spent cap in the upper position 5y and to locate a new cap in the firing position 5x is thus effected. The position of the strip of caps is determined by the profile of the lug 22c co-operating with the projection ltii. When the barrel is freed or released by the tooth 19b and the firing stroke takes place in the direction of the arrow f the projection lfii moves out of contact with the extension 22c. Towards the end of the firing stroke, after the pin 14a has entered the cavity of the cap in the line of firing thereby retaining the strip against spontaneous movement, the projection 1th strikes the lug 22b thus moving the lever 22 from the position of FIG. 5 to the position of FIG. 6. The tooth 22d is thus again depressed and passes to a subsequent stop 6a of the strip, being deflected during this stroke in a resilient manner in its own plane of pivoting thereby to return under the stop an of a new cap which is to be located in the firing position.

According to a further modification to be described hereinafter, the depression of the lever 22 is effected by the trigger on the return stroke effected by the spring 21.

According to a modification shown in FIG. 21, the gun is made with the barrel 101 forming part of the mouldings of the casing 108. Therefore, a slidable portion, forming the striking mass, is not visible from the exterior. While the same reference numerals are used for members similar to those of the previous embodiment, only those members are described hereinafter which differ from the corresponding ones of the previous embodiment. The striking mass is indicated by 110 and has the form of an inner section of the barrel 1t) and has an axial bore having an external surface carrying the parts 10c, 10g, 1011. The mass 110, furthermore, carries at the rear end the member 12 engaging the plate 14 as in the previous embodiment and the leaf spring 16 acts on the striking mass as in the first embodiment. At the front end, the striking mass 110 has a tubular rela tively thin-walled member 110a, which is inserted in a bore 101d, extending through the front portion of the casing to the barrel 101. Consequently the explosion gases are discharged, as in the previous embodiment through an axial bore corresponding to the barrel of an actual gun. In FIG. 21, a projection 12211 on the lever is acted upon by the trigger when the trigger passes from the position corresponding to that of FIG. 6 to the position corresponding to that of FIG. 2. The lug 22b is eliminated and the stiffness of the spring 21 will be made sufiicient to accomplish this additional action.

Other aspects of the illustrated embodiment are described and claimed in co-pending patent application Serial No. 479,112 filed Aug. 12, 1965, under the title, Toy-Gun Ammunition.

The drawings illustrate only as practical demonstrations of the invention, said invention being capable of modification without however departing from the scope of the appended claims. In particular, the invention may be applied to a gun with a repeating percussion system (tommy gun or machine gun) in which the trigger 19 is replaced by a mechanised control having a certain operational range and a certain control rate.

Furthermore, the mechanism for severing the caps may be arranged merely to detach the spent caps from the strip instead of severing the caps together with a part of the connecting stalk.

We claim:

1. In a cap-firing toy firearm for use with caps arranged in strip form,

cap-firing means, and

severing and ejector means operable substantially simultaneously with the cap-firing means whereby to sever a spent cap from the strip of interconnected caps and eject said spent cap from the firearm while an adjacent cap is being fired.

2. In a cap-firing toy gun for use with interconnected caps,

21 cap-firing mechanism,

severing and ejector means operable simultaneously with the cap-firing mechanism to sever a spent one of the interconnected caps and to eject said spent cap from the gun while an adjacent cap is being fired, and

advancing means operable whenever the gun is fired to advance the interconnected caps by one cap past the cap-firing mechanism.

3. In a cap-firing toy gun for use with interconnected caps,

a cap-firing mechanism,

severing and ejector means operable simultaneously with the cap-firing mechanism to sever a spent one of the interconnected caps and to eject said spent cap from the gun while an adjacent cap is being fired, said severing means comprising,

a blade having a cutting edge, an adjacent face of which is inclined to the longitudinal direction of the interconnected caps whereby the said inclined face by acting on the spent cap causes the ejection of the said spent cap from the gun in a desired direction, and

advancing means operable whenever the gun is fired to advance the interconnected caps by one cap past the cap-firing mechanism.

4. In a toy gun according to claim 3,

a striking mass movable with respect to the interconnected caps,

said mass carrying at least a part of the cap-firing mechanism and the severing and ejector means,

7 whereby the movement of the mass towards one of it engages a cap of the strip to align the cap accuthe caps at a firing position causes the firing of said rately in the firing position when the striking mass one cap by means of the firing mechanism and severis making a firing movement. ance and ejection of a spent cap of the intercon- 8. A toy gun for use with a strip of caps interconnected caps, and whereby movement of the mass nected by elongate stalks disposed laterally of the caps away from the caps causing the indexing of the cap and having a tooth on each said stalk, said gun comnext adjacent the said one cap into the firing position prising, by the said advancing means. a casing, 5. In a toy gun according to claim 4, a barrel, movable longitudinally with respect to the a barrel, 10 casing, said barrel forming at least a .part of the said striking a housing forming part of the casing and arranged to mass. carry a strip of caps, 6. In a cap-firing toy gun for use With caps arranged a cap-firing mechanism operable to fire a cap disposed in strip form, at a firing position,

a cap-firing mechanism, an advancing mechanism operable by movement of the severing and ejector means operable substantially simulbarrel to index the strip of caps to bring successive taneously with the cap-firing mechanism to sever caps to the firing position, a spent cap from th Strip and j t d c p f a severing mechanism operable by movement of the t gu While an adjacent p is being fired, and barrel to sever and eject from the gun a spent cap, guide means for guiding the Strip thfough the gun and and a trigger operable to operate the cap-firing mechpast a firing position, the guide means having an i opening therein through which the spent caps are ejected after severing. References Cited by the Examiner 7. In a cap-firing toy gun for use with caps arranged UNITED STATES PATENTS 1n strip form,

a cap-firing mechanism, 599,135 2/1898 Wildman 4254 a firing-pin forming part of the cap-firing mechanism, 624,543 5/1899 Rightmyer 42-57 a striking mass carrying the firing pin, and 1,770,996 7/ 1930 Rabenschlag 42-54 an end member on the said striking mass, said end I member having an aperture through which the firing- BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Przmary Examiner.

pin protrudes and which has a periphery such that 

1. IN A CAP-FIRING TOY FIREARM FOR USE WITH CAPS ARRANGED IN STRIP FORM, CAP-FIRING MEANS, AND SEVERING AND EJECTOR MEANS OPERABLE SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE CAP-FIRING MEANS WHEREBY TO SEVER A SPENT CAP FROM THE STRIP OF INTERCONNECTED CAPS AND EJECT SAID SPENT CAP FROM THE FIREARM WHILE AN ADJACENT CAP IS BEING FIRED. 